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A12
news
Guardian www.guardian.co.tt Thursday, August 13, 2015
RADHICA SOOKRAJ
Incensed by news that they
may have to wait two more
months to get back pay, health-
care workers have again threat-
ened to shut down the nation s
hospitals.
Chanting "No money no
work," the workers, led by
members of the National Health
Workers Union (NHWU) and
the T&T Registered Nurses
Association (TTRNA), marched
with placards through the San
Fernando General Hospital and
the San Fernando Teaching
Hospital yesterday.
They also issued an ultima-
tum to Health Minister Dr Fuad
Khan to pay workers now or
face a total shutdown of the
health sector.
Shop steward at the TTRNA,
Simon Francis, said it was unfair
that workers were forced to wait
for their dues while senior man-
agers of the RHAs had already
received millions of dollars in
back pay.
"We are fed up of broken and
spent promises. Healthcare
workers are the most essential
service in T&T. Teachers get
money, police get their money
but we are being asked to wait.
Our patience has run out! As
of today we are going to down
tools. Let the management do
the work," he shouted. The staff
cheered.
He added: "We work in a sys-
tem best described as slavery.
It is abusive, dictatorial, auto-
cratic, harsh and oppressive. As
of today that dictatorial system
will stop. If we don t get what
we are owed today, then lights
out!"
Francis also said staff at the
Couva District Health Facility
called the police on Tuesday
night to say intruders had
entered the compound but the
police never responded because
of a shortage of manpower.
Executive officer of the
NHWU, Sylvan Wilson, said it
was impossible for healthcare
workers to wait for two months
to get their dues because of the
impending changes to the cur-
rent administration.
"The workers here are
extremely desperate and under
pressure. The minister said
salaries will be paid in Septem-
ber with retroactive pay being
made sometime in November.
The current administration goes
out of office from September 7.
There will be a new finance
minister and a budget will be
made. If that new minister does
not honour these commitments,
what will become of the work-
ers?" Wilson questioned.
Vice chairman of the TTRNA,
Kerne Ramnath, said healthcare
workers must be paid immedi-
ately.
He said the RHA did not care
about its staff and that the only
thing left to do was continue
the ongoing protests.
Khan has called on the nurses
and other staff to exercise
patience. He said that the cal-
culations for the retroactive pay-
ments were being done and
would be ready within the next
few weeks.
One-time Arouca NAR member Rawle
Raphael says he is contesting the Lopinot/
Bon Air West seat as an independent since
the COP has refused to allow him to contest
under the COP s banner.
Raphael said this at a media briefing at his
Arouca office, yesterday. A vehicle outside was
festooned with campaign stickers.
Raphael, 67, had been the Arouca MP in the
NAR s tenure. He s remained an NAR member,
but said he could not contest the seat with the
NAR since the NAR was not fielding candidates
for the election.
Although the NAR has been featuring recently
with the Third Force Movement, the NAR has
not said it would present candidates to contest
seats.
Raphael produced brochures listing his
achievements in the seat. He said his plans for
Arouca included making the area a borough.
He also promised that if elected he would
make representation for the old-age pension
to be increased to $10,000, and for all males
six feet tall and over to be given scholarships
to the US to play basketball.
Raphael said he would also make represen-
tation for the NIS pension to be increased and
make provision for a $50 million trust fund for
all steelbandsmen and calypsonians.
Raphael said he was not upset with the NAR
or COP but intended contesting since he believed
he could win and the area needed him again.
"Is licks, licks and more licks for anyone who
is contesting Arouca against me---the PNM
can t win!" he added.
Also contesting Arouca/Maloney are the
PNM s Camille Robinson-Regis and former
NARite Wendell Eversley, who is representing
the COP.
Meanwhile, The Democratic Party of T&T
(DPTT), led by Steve Alvarez, will say by Sunday
if the DPTT is contesting the September 7 gen-
eral election.
Alvarez said the DPTT had so far been able
to approve ten candidates. "Consequently, unless
we have a minimum of 21 before Nomination
Day on Monday, we will not participate in this
election. We will make that determination on
Saturday. For us this election is way too impor-
tant to simply contest an election unless we
have a very good chance of winning."
SHARLENE RAMPERSAD
Independent Liberal Party
(ILP) leader Jack Warner has
decided to contest the
Chaguanas East constituency
on September 7. He believes
he has done enough in
Chaguanas West over the past
five years.
Warner made the announce-
ment during a cottage meeting
on Tuesday night at Kalomo
Kings Panyard in Pleasantville.
"Finally the party has decid-
ed that I should fight Chagua-
nas East. The decision was
made on Sunday," he told the
T&T Guardian. "They felt I did
enough in Chaguanas West and
now I should let my bucket
down where I grew up, where
I was educated and that is
Chaguanas East."
Warner said this would be
his last term as a politician and
he wanted to end it in Chagua-
nas East.
"Therefore this is my last
war in politics and there is the
feeling that I should end it in
Chaguanas East."
Asked about the ILP s
replacement candidate for
Chaguanas West, Warner said:
"They have somebody selected
already. Tomorrow night they
will announce him and I will
hand over the constituency to
him officially."
Warner poked fun at UNC
political leader Kamla Persad-
Bissessar, saying she could not
decide on a candidate to fight
him.
"She now has a choice,
because she says if it s not Jack
Warner, she will put back
Stephen Cadiz, but if it is Jack
Warner she will put Bhoe
Tewarie, but I want to tell
Kamla, put Bhoe Tewarie and
Cadiz together, I have no fear
of them whatsoever.
"Because the fact is, I think
this is too serious a business
to play hide-and-seek."
He said his decision to
announce his candidacy now
was because he was tired of
playing hide-and-seek with the
UNC.
"Up to now 27 persons in the
UNC don t know who is select-
ed, because Kamla has changed
a few and she is afraid if she
announces it too early, they will
either blow her out publicly, or
go up as independents in their
respective constituencies."
He said the threat of inde-
pendents stealing votes has led
to the last-minute announce-
ment of candidates by the
UNC.
"So she feels announcing
them Sunday night and Mon-
day is nomination day, they
won t have enough time (to go
independent). But we in the
ILP don t play that kind of
game; we did say our candi-
dates shall be named after hers."
Warner said the ILP s full
slate of candidates would also
be announced during a public
meeting on Sunday.
NAR's Raphael to
run as independent
Nurses threaten to stop
work over back pay
Nurses at the San Fernando General Hospital protest over
outstanding monies owed to them, yesterday. PHOTO: TONY HOWELL
Warner to contest Chaguanas East
ILP political leader Jack Warner displays the front page of his
newspaper as he announced his candidacy for the Chaguanas East
constituency in the September 7 general election, during the
party's cottage meeting at Pleasantville on Tuesday.
PHOTO: RISHI RAGOONATH